Q14 - Obviously, entrepreneurial ability is needed to start

[mshinners]

Question Type:
Determine the Function

Stimulus Breakdown:
The argument starts with a point that the author quickly pivots away from ("Yet"). The pivot is to some type of conclusion, which we know because it's followed up by an example ("For instance"). After that, we get another conclusion. Spending a second to find the main vs. intermediate conclusion by using the "Therefore" test, that last statement is supported by the statement after the pivot, so the last sentence is the main conclusion, with the post-pivot statement serving as an i. conclusion.

Answer Anticipation:
The statement in question is the second part of the example that supports the i. conclusion.

Correct answer:
(E)

Answer choice analysis:
(A) While it is arguably a conclusion (the immediate example leads into this statement with "consequently"), it is not the main conclusion.

(B) It is absolutely an example, but it doesn't support something the author tries to explain. Instead, it supports a premise the author uses to reach her conclusion (that premise being an additional consideration outside of entrepreneurial skill).

(C) As an example, it's definitely intended to prove something. It therefore can't be an aside.

(D) This answer would be correct without the "directly" at the end, as supporting the i. conclusion also supports the main conclusion. However, since this statement/example supports the i. conclusion, it doesn't support the main conclusion directly. I'd leave this until checking (E), but I wouldn't feel good about it.

(E) Bingo. It uses "premise" to describe the i. conclusion, but an i. conclusion is both a premise and a conclusion, so the description works.

Takeaway/Pattern:
Examples are premises. Determine the Function questions also tend to have more complicated argument structures, often including intermediate conclusions.

#officialexplanation

[tuf58975]

I got this question wrong at the test because I felt like I am running out of time, so I didn't pay much attention on the differences between D and E.

This question is talking about the "entrepreneurial and managerial skill are both important". it says that merely having the entrepreneurial ability is not enough to contribute to the success. Then it suggests an example and this example as a whole is to use to support the premise which is "Yet many entrepreneurs who succeed in starting a company fail later for lack of managerial skills". This part, as a whole, in turn to support the main conclusion, which is "Hence, the lack of......".

Therefore, the correct answer should be E.

[LukeM22]

Is the reason why the second sentence:

"Yet many entrepreneurs..."

Is an Intermediate Conclusion rather than just an additional premise because it is supported by an example? How do we delineate between the two?

Thanks,

[ohthatpatrick]

Just ask, "Why should I believe that?" of whatever claim you're trying to discern is Premise vs. Intermediate Conclusion.

If there's a reason you can point to, it's an Intermediate Conclusion.
If no supporting ideas were offered, it's a Premise.

When it's an Intermediate Conclusion, not only can you point to a supporting idea, 90% of the time you can also point to some argument indicator word that shows a claim is supporting / being supported.

Here, we can just look to the beginning of the 3rd sentence, "for instance" to see that the 2nd sentence is receiving support. If it's got support, it's an Intermediate Conclusion.